March 21st -23rd the A.C. Brase Arena Building will be the home of the ninth annual Cape Comic Con. The event is expected to draw in over 1,000 participants over the weekend, many from hundreds of miles away. Some exciting vendors and exhibitors you can expect to see this year include: Coffey’s Comics &Games, 1Up Games, Game Knights, and Burg Comics. Convention Director Ken Murphy notes that this year has been great for local support; this year’s sponsors include Hastings and Wehrenberg—the latter will be showing trailers throughout Comic Con.

This year’s Comic Con has definitely brought its A-game. While walking down the red carpet, participants can get their pictures taken in front of the Comic Con media wall. This will be available all weekend long, so fans can feel just as famous as the superheroes and villains they come dressed as. Costumes are welcomed and encouraged each day of Comic Con, but if you are hoping to compete in the costume contest, Saturday is the day to be sure you bring out your best.

The costume contest is split into two divisions: the twelve and under division and the teen/adult division. In the spirit of creativity and competition, participants are encouraged to ensure that their costume is at least 25% homemade. The first, second, and third place winners in the youth division and the second and third place winners of the adult division will win convention dollars that can be used at the Comic Con booths. The first place winner of the adult division will win $100 in cash.

While children attending the event can win prizes and recognition from their costumes, this year they can also be recognized for their creativity. Convention Director Ken Murphy has distributed 11” X 17” art boards to many local schools and businesses. Children age twelve and under can draw anything they want on the board using any medium (crayons, paint, etc.) and use the board as their free ticket into Comic Con.

Each child will be able to have their picture taken with their art board creation and will be entered into the drawing competition. According to Murphy, the intent for this project is, “to create a more interactive show and help children start their artistic portfolio.” Awards for the drawing competition will be announced Sunday afternoon. Additional art boards may be available at the convention if supplies last. For a full list of locations at which you can pick up an art board prior to Comic Con, send a message to the Cape Comic Con Facebook page.

Keeping in the competitive mindset, those wishing to play against fellow gamers will have numerous tournaments to enter during Comic Con. Popular tournaments that will be included this year include Magic the Gathering, Pokémon, Pathfinder RPG, HeroClix, and even My Little Pony.

Tickets can be purchased for Comic Con can be purchased both online and at the event. For general admission, a one day pass is $5 and a weekend pass is $15 for all three days. For those wishing to see special guest Jim Cornette, one of the most famous managers in professional wrestling history, tickets are $20, which includes admission to all three days of Cape Comic Con. “The Jim Cornette Experience” will be held at Cup'n Cork in downtown Cape. Space for the special event will be limited, so be sure to get your tickets early (these special tickets must be purchased prior to Friday at 4pm).

For a full list of featured guests, vendors, and exhibitors, as well as a full schedule of events for the entire weekend, please visit the Cape Comic Con website.